Category Archives: UK

Winter Wonderland

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If you live in the UK and are depressed that the theme parks are closed for the winter then take heart because Winter Wonderland opens its doors once more 22 November. This enormous homage to all things festive can be found in Hyde Park, London and offers plenty of attractions for everyone to enjoy. OK it is not a theme park but there are themed areas and plenty of rides and if past years are anything to go by you can have a thoroughly good day or evening out at Winter Wonderland. Continue reading

Paultons Park

 

Paultons Park is situated near Romsey in Hampshire and is easily accessed from the M27. Sitting on the edge of the New Forest, the park is a popular attraction amongst families holidaying in the area and is worthy of a visit if you have children to entertain. Paultons is not a great destination for adult only groups, however, as almost all of the rides and attractions are aimed at the under 12’s. Continue reading

Thorpe Park Fright Nights

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On special evenings in October as the sun sets Thorpe Park turns into a fear fest with crazy creatures and fearsome freaks lurking ready to scare the living daylights out of the guests who visit the park to join the Halloween party. The park is open well into the hours of darkness and offers several specially themed attractions in addition to the opportunity to take on the coasters in the dark. Continue reading

Blackpool Pleasure Beach

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The Pleasure Beach offers a pleasing mix of historic rides and modern thrill machines and sits on the seashore at the southern end of the Golden Mile. This an extremely compact amusement park which has little in the way of landscaping and theming but is a triumph of hope over expectation in the sheer number of attractions that have been packed into such a tiny space. The entrance fees are very reasonable and there is certainly plenty to keep you occupied for a whole day and more. Continue reading

Oakwood

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This park is tucked away in Pembrokeshire, South Wales and so many enthusiasts have yet to give this place a try but despite its comparatively low profile it is well worth a visit. Oakwood does not have as many attractions as some destinations and is essentially a small collection of rides in the rolling hills with little theming but it is a pleasant place to spend a day and has very reasonable entrance fees. Continue reading

Thorpe Park

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Thorpe Park is situated between Staines and Chertsey just south of Heathrow Airport. It is park that has gone all out for adult thrills of late with most of the newest attractions being unsuitable for children. In addition some of the older rides which were child friendly have been removed making this park attractive to the thrill seeker but a bit of a disaster for families and youngsters under 1.4m tall. Thorpe Park is constructed on an island in the middle of a man-made lake and so has a picturesque setting which is sadly not matched by the general upkeep and appearance of the attractions which is largely poor and shabby. Continue reading

Drayton Manor

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Drayton Manor G-Force 2 ride

Drayton Manor is located a few minutes from the M42 and M6 Toll motorways close to Tamworth in Staffordshire. Like Chessington World of Adventures the park offers a variety of rides and attractions together with several animal exhibits. Whilst there are plenty of attractions on offer and certainly enough to fill a day there are few really memorable things for adults and the park is not particularly attractive. Continue reading

Chessington World of Adventures

A theme park situated close to London and just a couple of minutes from the M25 should attract plenty of customers but outside of the school holidays Chessington’s visitor number are generally low and it is not hard to see why. This is a park marketed primarily to families and the rides are mainly geared towards children. Many of the offerings have been features of the park for a long time and are looking tired, dated and have rather outstayed their welcome but there have been some recent improvements and the animal exhibits are largely excellent making this place a good destination for animal lovers of all ages. Continue reading